5th Grade

5th Grade 

As fifth grade students approach middle school, we try to deepen their understanding of numerous science concepts, help them see their impact on the world, and guide them to making positive decisions in relation to the world around them.  Their experiences include using various tools and technology to help them learn and grow as science students and people.  

Early Fall

While building their classroom community throughout the inside of the school, fifth graders expanded their classroom community to the outdoor areas of Glacier Hills and Patrick Eagan Park.  They participated in a scientific inquiry investigation where they created a question, selected variable, collected data, graphed what they found out, and wrote a conclusion about what they data shows.  They compared what they found out at Glacier Hills to what they found out at Patrick Eagan Park.  Students also studied water samples from two local ponds to determine the health of the water and the human impact on those water sources.  

Late Fall

Students participated in the Engineering Design Process while building Artificial Floating Islands to help clean polluted water.  They had to consider several factors when building, including durability, buoyancy and cost.  Students built several models, tested them, and created a website with what they found out.  Click on your child's teacher from the drop down menu to see student created websites. 

Early Winter

Fifth graders visited Patrick Eagan Park to compare their observations from the fall to the winter.  They were able to notice some major changes, some minor changes, and some things that didn't change at all.

Late Winter/Early Spring

Students learned concepts related to force and motion and applied them by creating a Rube Goldberg machine.  They had to include at least three simples machines and five transfers of energy.

Late Spring

While studying Native Americans as well as human impact on environments and land in their classrooms, students used river models from the Science Museum to observe how removing a dam has an impact on the world around them. They removed the dam in various ways, collected data, and wrote about which removal method was the best and why.  There were many factors to consider, including the Native American history of this area, the plants and animals that live in and around the river, cost of removal, and the overall positives and negatives of various removal methods.